A New Start
by naterbug
Summary: Emma Swan has bounce around from foster home to foster home for years before ending up with Ruth Nolan. The whole situation seems like a dream come true. Until she starts to fall for her foster brother's best friend. Will she be able to hide her feelings? Or will the truth come out?-Will eventually become M rated.
1. Chapter 1

Emma looked at the house standing in front of her. It was one of those "All American Dream" houses. It was large, painted light blue with a large yard and even a white picket fence. It looked A LOT nicer than the other foster homes she had stayed at, but Emma knew better. The house may look great, but if the family was willing to foster her there was a catch. At the age of 16, Emma had been through over 10 foster homes, usually getting kicked to the curb for back talking or "starting trouble". Her case worker knocked on the door that was answered by an older woman. She was a little over weight and her hair had started to grey. She greeted them with a smile "Hello there, I'm Ruth Nolan and you must be Emma." Emma stared at her out stretched hand for a while before Ruth finally understood and retracted it. Her case worker, Sarah, greeted Ruth kindly as they were lead into the house. The house looked just as nice on the inside. It looked like a nice family home complete with family pictures. Emma wondered again why she was being placed here.

Ruth led them to the kitchen asking if they wanted anything to drink. Emma stayed silent as Sarah and Ruth discussed paperwork and the finer details of the arrangement. It wasn't long before Sarah was leaving. Emma followed her outside. Emma liked Sarah. She had been one of her better case workers. She really seemed to care. A fact that was only proven when she hugged Emma tightly before pulling away and telling her, "This is a good home, Emma. There have never been any complaints about Ruth and a few of the foster kids even stayed with her until they age out of the system. And she only fosters one child at a time so it will be just you and her son, not a crowded group home. Give this one a real chance, Emma. Trust me." Sarah smiled her reassuring smile and got in her car to leave. Leaving Emma to wonder about this home. Would it be different? Was it too good to be true? Who was this brother? What was the catch?

Emma headed back to the house, Ruth was waiting at the door. After finally making it to the door Ruth showed her around the first floor, showing her the living room, dining room, and bathroom, all while talking adamantly to her the entire time. Emma honestly didn't understand how she could carry a conversation by herself. Ruth grabbed her bag that was set by the door earlier. She didn't have much, just a few clothes and one or two keep sakes. Ruth led her upstairs to a hallway, pointing out her room and her son, David's, room, and the bathroom before making it to what would be Emma's room. Her room was at the very end of the hall. The room looked nice. It was pretty gender neutral with a full size bed made up with a grey bedspread that sported some geometric design. Most of the furniture in the room was white, including the desk, dresser, and book shelf that already had some books on it. The room even had a closet, which was exciting despite her lack of clothes. The room looked really nice, nicer than anything she had ever had before that was for damn sure. It was obvious by the color scheme that all of the foster children ended up in this room, but Emma didn't really mind that, after all who was she to complain.

Ruth stood by mostly silent while Emma observed her surroundings. When it was clear she had had her fill of looking over the room Ruth began to talk, "I know a new home can be difficult." Emma noticed the lack of foster when she said home, scoffing at the idea that this will be any different than the others. Eventually they will get tired of her and send her back just like all the other foster families. "But I want to make this an easy transition for you." Ruth continued, "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." She looked at Emma with an earnest face, almost willing her to believe she was being sincere. With an awkward departure Emma was left to get settled in.

She unpacked her meager belongs and searched around the room. There was a computer set up on the desk that Emma wasn't sure if she could use or not, so she went for a safer option to entertain herself. She picked a book off the book shelf at random, it was some book about swash buckling pirates and kidnapped princesses. Emma let herself get absorbed in the story until she heard the door open down stairs followed by, "Mom, We're home!" We're home? As in we? As in more than one? Emma swore her case worker only mentioned one son and she hadn't heard anything about a father. Just the thought of some of her more aggressive foster fathers made her want to lock the door and hide in the room forever. It was too late. There was a soft knock at the door before it opened revealing Ruth. "My son just got home. Maybe you would like to come down stairs and meet him?" Emma didn't know what to do, so she stood their silent. Ruth gave her a reassuring smile as if to say you can trust me and for some reason Emma wanted to. Reluctantly Emma followed Ruth downstairs.

Emma took the stairs slowly, trying to delay the inevitable. Some of the foster siblings she had had in the past weren't the nicest. What if the son was the catch? What if he was what was wrong with the seemingly perfect foster home? They finally made it to the kitchen. Standing there were two guy who looked to be about her age. Prince Charming approached her with a giant smile. He had blond hair and blue eyes, defiantly giving off the boy next door vibe. "Hi, I'm David and this is my friend Killian." He said motioning to the guy looking through the fridge. At the sound of his name Killian abandoned his search for food and came to stand by David. Emma had to reminder herself how to breathe as he approached. This guy was gorgeous. He had messy dark black hair with blue eyes that contrasted nicely with his light scruff. He wore a smirk that Emma suspected was permanent fixture on his face. After finally making eye contact Killian gave Emma an award winning smile that she was sure had girls dropping their panties on the spot in the past. Emma wasn't unaffected by his smile, in fact the words heart stopping come to mind, but she had learned to hide it better than other girls or at least she hoped. Emma tried to give off an air of indifference as she answered shortly, "Emma". Killian's smile faltered and Emma knew she had succeeded in appearing indifferent to his good looks.

There was an awkward silence before David finally broke it, "Killian and I were just going to play some video games if you cared to join us." Emma lifted her eyebrows as if to ask if he was serious or not. Most of the foster brothers she had had in the past would be looking for a way out and here David was inviting her to join them despite the awkward silence that had been lingering since introductions had been covered. "I'm not much of a video game person. I was just going to go read for a bit." Emma answered before retreating back to her room.


	2. Chapter 2

Killian watched as Emma left the room. He was still trying to process the whole thing. When she had first looked at him, he had been sure that she appreciated his dashing good looks, but the way she answered stiffly and shortly had him second guessing that assumption. Most of David's past foster sisters had swooned when they saw him. He was never very interested in any of them, which was great considering David's strict rule about not dating any of the foster kids. David wanted the foster kids that stayed with them to feel comfortable and apparently Killian's advances may make them feel "unsettled", as David put it. This hadn't been a big problem when they were little, but after Killian hit puberty it defiantly was.

Even more curious was Emma's reaction when David invited her to hang out with them. Most of the foster kids in the past were skeptical, but usually agreed. David always went for something safe, something in one of the main rooms not David's room and always something that encouraged talking not a movie where you can sit in silence. Killian was always amazed at how good David had gotten at making the foster kids feel comfortable even after just arriving. However, Emma had turned them down flat. It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before, it just didn't usually happen.

Killian pondered this as they went into the living room. David was setting up one of the many games in the collection. The collection of video games was a combination of his and David's that had been building for years. Killian spent a majority of his time at David's place anyway so why not leave his games here. Killian's parents were in business. They had opened a successful sailing company back in Ireland. They had been content with the small business until Killian's older brother, Liam died of leukemia. After that his parents through themselves into work. Around the time Killian turned 10 his parents had decided to expand their business to the U.S., specifically the small Maine town of Storybrooke. However, business in Ireland hadn't ceased to exist so they took many business trips there leaving Killian on his own more often than not. Killian spent a lot of time at David's house preferring it to the empty house he lived in.

It had been silent since Emma had left the room. David had finished setting up the game and finally handed Killian his controller. "Don't even think about it, Killian."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, mate."

"I saw the way you looked at her. She's not a challenge for you to overcome, Killian. You know you're my best friend, but even I can admit you have a habit of dropping your dates pretty fast."

"I think your exaggerating."

"Really?! When was the last time you stuck with the same girl longer than two weeks?"

Killian knew the answer immediately. He hadn't stuck with one girl since Milah sophomore year. Killian just gave a noncommittal shrug instead, knowing Dave already knew the answer.

"See? Look I get why you only do short flings, but Emma needs to feel comfortable here if she is ever going to get used to the idea that this isn't just another stop on her way out of the system and she certainly won't be comfortable seeing you or being in this house with you after breaking it off with her after two weeks."

"I get it, Dave." And he did get it. He understood precisely where David was coming from. His argument was completely logical, but he couldn't stop thinking about how she had out right rejected him. "I promise no flings with Emma." David muttered his thanks before they turned all of their attention on the game.

Soon enough Ruth was calling them all to dinner. She had kept it simple, making chicken nuggets and French fries. There was also a bowl of green beans and a bowl of peaches place in the center of the table. Killian, David, and Ruth all took their normal seats. Killian noticed Emma slow her place, probably giving herself time to figure out where to sit. David and Killian had already started loading their plate when Emma sat down. "Feel free to just dig in, Emma" Ruth instructed. Emma started to get food onto her plate when Killian remembered drinks. "I'm going to grab a soda anyone want anything?" He saw Emma's eyebrows raise briefly as he realized this was the first time she had heard him speak and therefore the first time she had heard his accent that had never faded.

"Pepsi" was David's immediate response.

"Just ice water please, dear" answered Ruth.

After a minute of silence Killian decided to try and engage her in some sort of exchange of words even if it was just a simple drink order. "What about you, lass?"

Emma looked up startled that he hadn't just left when she didn't answer. Normally Emma would just go along with what someone else had said, but she didn't really care for Pespi and didn't want water either. "Umm what are my choices?"

Killian lifted his eyebrows in genuine shock that she had not only answered, but asked a question and therefore furthering the conversation even if it was just by a little. "There's Pepsi, Mt. Dew, milk…..apple juice, I think."

"Mt. Dew" she answered in barely visible excitement. If Killian had to guess it was probably her favorite soda.

He returned shortly with everyone's drinks, receiving thanks from everyone at the table. Killian continued to sneak peeks at Emma throughout the meal in what he hoped was a subtle manner. He couldn't stop looking at her. She had hair that looked to be the exact color of gold with a fit body that had curves in all the right places, but none of that compared to the emerald eyes he had seen earlier during their initial introductions. He was hoping for another glimpse at those beautiful green eyes, but Emma was staring at her plate refusing to look up. To everyone's shock it was Emma that broke the silence that had settled over them.

"So when do I start school?"

"You can start tomorrow if you feel up to it." Today was Sunday so Ruth's suggestion made sense.

"I can give you a ride to school in the morning." Killian offered.

She just lifted her eyebrows at that, making eye contact with him at last. The notion that he could look at those eyes all day and be perfectly content floated through his mind before he shook the idea away.

"I give Dave a ride in every morning so it wouldn't be any trouble." Killian explained.

"Okay I'll start tomorrow." She replied slowly. She continued to stare down at her plate while playing with a French fry. She was biting her lower lip and seemed to be considering asking her next question before Ruth spoke up.

"Excellent! I already got your school supplies ready before you came. There should be a purple backpack in your room filled with all of the things you need. If there is anything you need not in the bag just let me know."

Emma looked completely stunned. This was not an unusual reaction. Killian had been here before when the topic of school supplies was covered and every time the foster kid looked shocked. It made Killian's heart ache knowing that this may be the first time Emma was ever provided with the school supplies she needed.

Dinner rapped up quickly after that and Killian made his way to leave, promising to see them in the morning. That night Killian couldn't stop himself from dreaming of golden curls and bright green eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma woke up the next morning to the alarm clock on her side table blaring. Emma wasn't much of a morning person and today it was even worse because it was her first day at a new school. She had gone through this what felt like a million times before, but the nervousness never really went away. Practice makes perfect didn't seem to apply in this situation. Finally, Emma managed to drag herself out of bed. She brushed her teeth and hair, happy to find that her hair had a nice natural wave to it today. Then she went to search for an outfit that wouldn't embarrass her completely. She finally decided on a pair of well-worn jeans and a simple black shirt. Her swan pendent hung around her neck right where it always was. She took a deep breath taking one last look in the mirror before grabbing the back pack Ruth provided and heading down stairs.

David was already sitting at the breakfast bar eating a bowl of cereal when Emma made it to the kitchen. Ruth was also sitting at the bar and looked up as she approached. "Good morning, Emma. The breakfast food it mostly in that cabinet over there or there are frozen waffles in the freezer. Help yourself." Emma went to check out what was in the cabinet Ruth had motioned to and found mostly cereal and pop tarts. Deciding it would just be easier to eat the pop tarts she grabbed a package of the cinnamon ones and settled onto the remaining stool next to David. They all ate in silence, which Emma was thankful for she hated talking any time before finishing her breakfast. She heard a honk from outside just as she was finishing up. "That'll be Killian. We better get going." David told Emma before kissing Ruth on the cheek and telling good bye. Ruth told them both to have good day before they walked out the door.

Emma was pretty impressed with the car that sat in the drive way. Emma didn't really know cars, but this one was black and sleek and obviously really nice. The interior was even better. The car was clean… like really clean. She was getting the idea that the car was either new or Killian was a neat freak. "Good morning, love. Excited about your first day at Storybrooke High?" Emma rolled her eyes at that. She may have had her breakfast, but it was far too early for this level of stupidity. "What do you think?" was her only reply before turning to look out the window. Emma heard David try and fail to hold back a laugh earning a glare from Killian. "Look man, I'm sorry, but it really was a stupid question." David's reply actually put a smile on Emma's face. It was good to know that she wasn't the only one that thought it was ridiculous to think she would be excited about her first day at yet another new school.

After getting to school Emma immediately went to the guidance counselor's office in order to set up her schedule. It wasn't too hard to find after being given directions by the secretary in the main office. The guidance counselor was older man with thinning red hair and dorky glasses. He went by Dr. Hopper and appeared to double as the school's psychologist as well. He asked her a little about the classes she had taken in previous years and set her up with a schedule. Her schedule contained the basic classes any junior would take plus some electives that she had chosen. Emma was still on track to graduate despite changing schools. Her grades were never stellar, but they were good enough.

Her morning went by pretty easily. She talked to each of her teach before class trying to gage how far behind she was. It was late September so it wasn't as if she had missed a lot, but she still needed to catch up. Each teacher gave her a variety of assignments and suggested readings to do in order to get caught up. Before she knew it, it was lunch time. Lunch was always the most uncertain part of the first day in a new school. In class you simple pick a desk, but in the lunch room it was never that simple. Emma went through the line hoping to have figured out what to do by the time she had gotten her food. She was standing around awkwardly trying to decide which table would be safest to sit at when someone came up beside her.

"Hey you're the new girl from English class, right?"

She turned to look at the girl. She looked like a pixie. She had black hair, cut short and green eyes. She had a pretty face and small frame. Emma did in fact recognize her from English class, but couldn't quite recall her name.

"Uh yea. I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

"Mary Margaret. You can sit at my table if you want. It's a pretty cool group of people. Me, my boyfriend, his best friend, my best friend, her boyfriend, and a few others. What'd ya say?"

Emma was in no position to turn down an offer like that. "Sure that sounds great!" she replied with a smile. She followed Mary Margaret to the table. She was soon introduced to Ruby and Victor, but it looked like the others hadn't arrived yet. Emma was surprised at how easily she got along with Mary Margaret and Ruby. The conversation flowed easily and they made sure to include her in whatever they were talking about. Soon enough Mary Margaret got a very happy look on her face, spotting something over Emma's shoulder. Emma turned to see who it was and was shocked to see both David and Killian approaching.

"Ahh Prince Charming has arrived!" joked Ruby as David came around the table to sit next to Mary Margaret while Killian took the spot next to her.

"David. Killian. This is Emma. We met this morning in English class."

David, Killian, and Emma all shared a look, unsure of what to do. Emma knew that everyone would find out she was a foster kid sooner or later, but she had been hoping for later. Taking control of the situation Emma spoke up first, "Actually, we've already met. I'm David's new foster sister." She tried to give off in a way that sounded as if she was pleased about the situation and felt indifferent to their knowledge of it. _They can only hurt you with that information if they think it bothers you_ , Emma thought to herself. The table was quiet for a minute before Mary Margaret spoke up, easing the tension in a way that Emma guessed only Mary Margaret could. "That's great! Now you can give me all the dirty secrets about how David is when I'm not around." "Please as if Prince Charming does anything remotely gossip worthy" Ruby replied causing the whole table to relax and move back into an easy banter about how David didn't have a bad bone in his body.

Lunch went smoothly after that, she even managed to enjoy herself a little bit. By the end of lunch she had made plans to go to the mall with Mary Margaret and Ruby that weekend. Emma didn't have any money to spend, but it would be nice to do something fun with actual friends. The only part of lunch that had been uncomfortable was Killian. She didn't know why, but he threw her off. She just had the feeling she should distance herself from him. Besides after one lunch she had gotten the picture that Killian was a player and she wasn't a big fan of his type.

The rest of the day flew by and before she knew it she was watching the boys' football practice with Ruby and Mary Margaret. They were both in her last class of the day, U.S. History, and they had managed to convince her to hang out with them and watch the practice. It hadn't taken much convincing because she didn't have anything better to do and this way she'd be able to get a lift back to Ruth's instead of walking. David and Victor were both on the team along with Killian. David was the quarterback, which just seemed fitting in Emma's mind. No matter how much she told herself she wouldn't she couldn't stop herself from watching Killian. It was like she was drawn to him. But despite the pull she didn't droll over him the entire practice. She actually had quite a bit of fun hanging out with the girls. It was nice to talk to them. She had never had "girlfriends" before.

Soon enough she was heading back to Ruth's with Killian and David. When they go there the boys immediately when for snacks while Emma went to the kitchen table to start on some of the work she had been given. She usually wasn't this productive, but she really didn't have anything better to do. An hour or two later it was time for dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup this time. After that day Emma couldn't help but to hope that maybe this foster home would be different.

The rest of the week went much the same way. She even managed to do almost all of the make-up work her teachers had assigned her. When the weekend came around Emma was more than happy for a well-deserved break. Saturday was the day of the mall trip. Emma had made sure to okay the trip with Ruth earlier in the week. She had been a bit nervous when asking. Some foster parents were happy she wouldn't be around to cause trouble, while others loathed the idea and made her stay home to do chores. Ruth had seemed ecstatic that she wanted to go hang out with classmates. Making friends was a good step. It meant that Emma was getting used to the idea that she might be staying longer than she had in the other foster homes.

Emma came down stairs a few minutes before Ruby and Mary Margaret so she could grab some breakfast. She was just finishing her cereal when she heard a honk from outside. Ruth handed her some money before telling her "Make sure you buy new clothes with that. Your clothes seem to be wearing thin." Emma was about to protest, but Ruth insisted "Don't argue with me. Now go and have a good time." Ruth was practically pushing her out the door. Emma pushed the money into her back pocket before joining the girls in the car.

The trip to the mall was a lot of fun. The mall was a decent size. She had been to some bigger ones, but she had also seen some that were much smaller. It was a new experience being able to actually shop though. In the past she had just stuck to window shopping and shoplifting a few trinkets here and there. When she told Ruby and Mary Margaret that she needed new clothes their faces lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning. They were all too happy to pick out different clothes and make her try them on. Even going so far as to push her into the dressing room with a pile of clothes in her arms. In the end she had gotten plenty of new jeans, new tops, a pair of boots (Mary Margaret's insisted that she would need them when it started to snow.), and a pair of tennis shoes.

Finally they took a break and got some food at the food court. Emma was content to listen to Mary Margaret and Ruby gossip about their boyfriends. Emma learned quickly that Ruby had no problem sharing all sorts of information regarding her and Victor's relationship. Almost to the point where Emma wanted to cover her ears to block out some of the more personal details. Mary Margaret was more reserved, a fact Emma was thankful for since she lived with David. However from what Mary Margaret did share even Emma could tell they were madly in love. It was all going well until Ruby asked a question Emma did not want to even think about.

"So what's going on with you and Killian?"

"Nothing. He flirts a lot, but I get the idea that he flirts with everyone." Emma answered trying to sound both calm and convincing.

"I don't know" Mary Margaret insisted "I mean yes he does flirt with like anything in a skirt, but it seems different with you."

Emma gave her a confused look before Ruby jumped in, "Yeah it's like he flirty, but some of the flirting seems more genuine. Plus he seemed to actually try to get to know you a little bit during lunch this week."

That was true. He was always asking her questions about herself, most of which Emma deflected. She didn't like talking about herself. Emma shrugged, "He just looks at me as a challenge since I didn't fall at his feet. It doesn't matter I'm not interested."

Ruby gave her a looked that suggested she was crazy and was about to voice her opinion when Mary Margaret jumped in, "Emma, if you really don't like him like that it's fine, but make sure that's the reason. Make sure it's not that you're too scared of getting hurt to put yourself out there."

Emma chewed on an onion ring thinking over Mary Margaret's words as Ruby began complaining about how one of her teacher's had already assigned a project in one of her classes. Emma tried to pay attention, but she just couldn't. _I don't have feelings for Killian. Do I? No! Get a hold of yourself, Emma. Yes he is very attractive, but he's also a player. Maybe she's right that I am afraid of getting hurt, but who wouldn't be when it came to dating the biggest player in school? Plus it would make things awkward with David and me if it didn't work out and I would lose all the friends I've made because they were his friends first._ Emma forced herself to focus back on the conversation.

When they got back to Ruth's the boys were just coming in from outside. They were sweaty, obviously just getting done doing some sort of workout. Probably a run if she had to guess. David quickly went outside to catch Mary Margaret before she left, leaving her and Killian alone. Emma had to focus really hard not to look at his sweat soaked shirt that covered lean muscle. His arm muscles flexed as he brought his water bottle up to take a drink. She felt her mouth start to water at the sight, wondering how great those muscle would look hovering over her while he _Woah Emma don't go there!_ When she made eye contact with him it was like he knew what she was thinking.

"See something you like, love?"

That was all it took and Emma was annoyed again. He was just so arrogant. "You wish"

"Perhaps I do"

That response made Emma falter. She had expected him to have some retort about how he just knew that she did like what she saw. Emma was thankful David had chosen that moment to walk back in the house. It gave Emma a perfect opportunity to escape to her room claiming that she needed to get her new clothes put away. As Emma unpacked and placed the new clothes in the dresser and hung up some of the tops in the closet she tried to banish all thought of Killian Jones from her mind, failing…miserably.

 **Okay so this is my very first attempt at writing fanfiction so constructive criticism is very much appreciated.** **:)**


	4. Chapter 4

_What the fuck was that?_ Killian thought to himself as he watched Emma escape to her room. He hadn't meant to say the words that had come out of his mouth. During his run with David he had resolved to stop flirting with Emma. David had been going on about how much Mary Margaret and Emma were getting along and Killian couldn't help himself. He let it slip just how much it bothered him that Emma refused to have a friendly conversation with him saying, "Of course they are because Emma has no problems getting along with anyone in our group except me." David stopped running at this and gave Killian a hard look, "Maybe if you stopped flirting with her 24/7 she wouldn't feel the need to ignore everything that came out of your mouth."

"I do not flirt with her 24/7" Killian rebuked.

"Yes you do. I told you, Killian, leave her alone. She can't be another one of your flings"

"I know and I don't want her to be. I want to be able to have a friendly conversation with her though. I see her all the time, it would be nice if we were at least friends, but I can't help the flirting it comes out before the thought even processes."

"Well, you should work on that." David replied shortly and started running again.

So Killian decided he would work on it. He hadn't lied to David. He wanted to be friends with Emma. She was around all the time and Killian didn't want her to feel the need to run every time he entered the room. Obviously, it was going to take more work.

After Emma had retreated to her room Killian said a quick good-bye to David so he could go home, shower, and change. His parents were away on business again, as usual, so Killian was planning to spend the night at David's. He hated sleeping in his empty house, so while he was home he packed a few things in an overnight bag. Then he was right back at David's for dinner. Ruth owned the local farmer's market in town and had some sort of issue at the store. She wasn't going to be back in time for dinner, so they ordered pizza. Emma didn't come out of her room until the pizza arrived. Despite the fact that Ruth wasn't home they all sat at the table and ate together like normal.

"Mary Margaret said she had a great time shopping with you today." David said breaking the silence that had been filling the room for a while.

"Uh yea it was great." Emma replied before continuing to stare at her plate.

After that David and Killian started talking about the football season and discussing their chances of making it to state. He and David were thinking they had a good chance until Killian heard Emma mumble a soft "Not likely" under her breath.

"Why do you say that, lass?" Killian questioned.

Emma looked up shocked he'd even heard her, "Uh. It just that…well…your plays are a little….predictable."

David's eyebrows shot up at this. "What do you mean?"

Emma bit her lip before continuing, "You practice the same ones over and over in practice, which means you don't have very many. Other teams are gonna catch on fast."

Killian had only barely heard her. He was still focused on the lip she had been biting only moments prior. However, he heard enough to know Emma had a point. It was only September, so relatively early in the season. They had only had a few games and they won all of them, but the teams weren't that great and they had only won by a small margin. The team was still riding the high of being undefeated so they glossed over the fact that they could do better.

After a long silence Emma spoke again. "Look, I'm not saying your bad or anything just that you need more variety in your play book….and probably a bigger playbook in general."

David seemed to soak in her words before nodding, "I'll talk to Coach about it."

Killian could feel the conversation slipping away. This was a chance to have an actual conversation with Emma and he wasn't about to let it go. "Big fan of football, love?"

Emma shrugged in a noncommittal way that had Killian thinking she might not even answer before she spoke. "Not really. I've just seen enough high school football games to know which teams have a chance and which don't."

Killian absorbed this knowledge. To anyone else it might have seemed like a simple statement, but to Killian it held so much more. It meant that Emma had definitely been to more than one high school before moving in with David. It also meant that, despite her being so nonchalant, football was something she enjoyed. It was something she was interested in no matter what school she went to. Killian was happy he had actually learned something about Emma even if she didn't realize he had.

After dinner Emma again retreated to her room and he and David played videogames in the living room. Ruth returned home at some point and had quickly wished them a good night before collapsing in bed. They had stayed up a bit longer than normal before David decided he couldn't hold his eyes open anymore and went to bed. David's late and Killian's early were one in the same. It was 1am and Killian wasn't anywhere near close to being ready to go to sleep. He put in a first person shooting game and decided to play by himself. He hadn't been at it that long before he heard a door down the hall open. Whoever it was had gone into the kitchen. Killian got up, he expected it to be David getting a glass of water or something, but what he found was much better. Emma was looking through the cabinets, clearly trying to find something.

"Can I help you, lass?"

Killian watched as Emma jumped. "Shit! You scared me."

Killian tried to bite back a chuckle, but it didn't really work. "What are you looking for?"

Emma bite her lip. Killian was starting to understand she did this when she was unsure of herself or what to say. She sighed obviously resigning to telling him what she was doing. "I couldn't sleep. I was hoping to find some hot chocolate, but I still haven't gotten used to this kitchen."

Killian wanted to tell that was because she never got food out of the kitchen. She ate at meals, but never looked for food beyond that. The most he'd seen her get herself from the kitchen all week was water. Killian swiftly moved to the cabinet containing the instant cocoa mix and handed it to her.

"Thanks" she replied biting her lip again.

"What else?" Killian questioned, knowing the cocoa wasn't the only thing she was looking for.

"Umm do you know where the cinnamon is?"

Killian only raised his eyebrows at the odd request before retrieving the cinnamon for her. Then he promptly took the cocoa mix from her hands and pulled down two mugs. He started to make the hot chocolate for her while she watched him, clearly shocked at what he was doing. Soon enough Killian had to mugs of hot chocolate prepared with whip cream and cinnamon sprinkled on one.

"Thanks" Emma replied again before taking her mug and moving toward the door. "Do you want to play a videogame? It's probably more entertaining than sitting in your room alone" Emma stopped. Her back toward him. Killian waited and hoped to God that he hadn't said the stupidest thing on the planet. The longer he waited the more sure he became that he had. Finally, Emma turned around biting her lip again, "I've never really played videogames before." She was blushing. She was embarrassed. Killian quickly realized why. Most foster homes don't have things like Xboxes and PS4s. "No worries. I'll go easy on you." He replied with an easy smile, hoping to ease some of her embarrassment.

Emma sat on the couch sipping her hot chocolate while Killian set up the game. It was a shooting game, he figured Emma wouldn't be adverse to a game that promoted killing him. He explained which buttons controlled what and as promised went easy on her. It didn't take long for Emma to get a shot in and kill him. _Beginner's Luck_ he told himself. "Nice shot, love." Emma smiled in response. Killian quickly realized it was not beginner's luck. She was crushing him. She had totally played him. After her fifth kill in a row Killian paused the game and turned to her.

"Never played before huh?"

Emma smiled wide showing all of her teeth. That smile melted Killian. He didn't care that she had lied and played him because that was the first time she'd ever smiled at him like that. "I had a boyfriend who was really into these games. He taught me quite a bit before I moved. It also helps that you kinda suck, Jones."

Killian replied quickly "I do not suck. I was just going easy on you because I thought you hadn't played before." Despite what he said Killian still got up to switch games. He plugged in the wii and set up the remotes before handing her one. "Okay so you can shoot, but can you drive?" Killian questioned as Mario Kart loaded on the screen. Emma smiled one of those big smiles again, "Bring it on."

Sun shining through the window in the living room woke him up long before he should've been awake. He moved to roll his face into the couch to bloke out the sun, but instead of smelling the scent of the febreze Ruth used on the furniture he smelled vanilla and felt hair tickling his nose. He opened his eyes to find Emma curled up next to him. Imagines of last night flitted through his mind. Him beating her at Mario Kart. Her winning at Call of Duty. Him winning at Grand theft auto. Them moving to the floor before the last one. Sharing a blanket. He focused back on Emma. She looked so peaceful. All he wanted to do was cuddle up behind her and hold her tight, but he knew she wouldn't want that. Instead he stood up and moved to the couch. He did not want her waking up and freaking out about sleeping on the floor next to him. They had had fun last night and he wasn't about to ruin that.

He woke up again a few hours later when David had decided that Killian had slept long enough. Killian opened his eyes and gave Dave his best "I could kill you" look, but he did get up. He sat up on the couch and stretched before moving to get off the couch. The first thing he noticed was that Emma was no longer on the floor. David answered his unspoken question "She woke up the minute Ruth walked in the room. Then she when back to her room to go back to sleep. I guess she's a light sleeper." Killian nodded before walking to the bathroom.

Killian had just sat down for breakfast/lunch when Emma entered the kitchen. Her hair tousled from sleep with a scowl on her face. Killian hadn't known her long, but it was easy to figure out Emma wasn't a morning person. He watched Emma rummage around for a minute in the "breakfast cabinet" before watching her give up. They needed groceries. He was sure Ruth was planning on getting them today, but for now they were out of the usual poptarts and cereal. Finally Killian got up and directed a growling Emma to a stool at the breakfast bar. He quickly made a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon and sat it down in front of her. She took it with a grateful look, but said nothing. Then Killian set to work making eggs and toast and setting that down in front of her too before returning to his own breakfast.

After eating the food Emma spoke up "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, love"

"Where's David?"

"He's out with Mary Margaret."

Emma nodded at this before leaving the kitchen again. Killian returned to the living room watching tv and considering what to do with his Sunday. It was normal for David to spend Sunday with M&M, but it still left Killian bored. Last Sunday had been an exception because of Emma's arrival. He knew calling Victor would be fruitless because he spent Sunday with Ruby. Soon enough Emma walked back into the living room. Her hair was now smoothed back into a ponytail and she had changed into a pair of jeans and a v neck top. Killian made sure to quickly avert his eyes from her cleavage. Something had changed between them last night and Killian didn't want to ruin that. Emma settled on the couch next to him with a huff.

"I'm bored."

Killian looked at her questioningly "You're bored?"

She rolled his eyes at him and answered in a firm tone "Yes, now fix it."

He couldn't help but laugh which caused her to scowl at him. "Go get shoes on, lass"

She looked at him skeptically "Where are we going?"

He smiled at her and answered with a tap on her nose "It's a surprise."

She huffed again, but got up to put shoes on. Soon enough Killian was parking his car in front of Storybrookes own bowling alley. Emma looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Bowling?" she questioned. "Swan, you were bored. This is me making you unbored. Just enjoy it." With that she got out of the car and they made their way into the building. Soon enough they had bowling shoes on and had each picked out a bowling ball. They started playing and it didn't take long to figure out Emma was really terrible at bowling.

After her 3rd gutter ball in a row she looked at Killian biting her lip. "I've never bowled before and this time I'm not lying."

Killian bit back a chuckle before answering "I believe you, Swan."

Emma just glared back at him before Killian walked over to her. She was still holding her ball muttering about how the game was stupid and impossible. "Swan, relax let me show you." Killian took the ball from her and set it down. Then he stood beside her and showed her the foot motions before coming behind her and demonstrating the arm motions. His front was to her back and he was standing very close to her. He was struggling to concentrate on anything, but how good to would feel to lean down and kiss her neck. He quickly took a step back feeling the loss as they broke apart. Finally, he had her put the motions together before actually giving it a shot. She picked up her ball and slowly followed the instruction Killian had given her. She jumped up and down and cheering when she knocked over half of the pins.

She squealed and rapped her arms around Killian. He felt he start to pull away probably realizing what she was doing, but he hugged her back without thinking. His arms wrapping around her waist pulling her to him firmly. The scent of vanilla filled his nose. He could feel her pressed against him and he never wanted to let her go. The hug was quick, chaste even, but Killian had noticed it all.

They spent the rest of the day bowling and then hanging out at David's. Killian had done it. Somehow he had managed to become friend with Emma Swan. He liked being around her. That was painfully obvious after spending all day with her. He liked making her laugh and smile. He liked their banter and their trash talk during competitions. He liked getting to know her. Yes, Killian had accomplished his goal. He and Emma were friends and she no longer ran from the room when he showed up, but Killian wasn't happy. Killian was greedy and he wanted more. He wanted to know what it would be like to rap his arms around her whenever he wanted. He wanted to know how her lips would feel against his. He wanted it all. Of that he was sure, but there was one thing he was even more sure of…he would never get more.

 **Sorry this took so long. I'll try to be better.**


End file.
